Extensions

Circumstances under which FOIA professionals may request extensions for processing FOIA requests. All requests for extensions shall be documented in writing and reported to the NOAA FOIA Officer.

Extensions may be requested in the following circumstances:

To consult with other NOAA components to prepare responses to FOIA requests;

To search for voluminous information in order to respond to FOIA requests; or

If interagency consultation is necessary.

Requests may be extended by an additional 10 business days beyond the 20-business-day timeframe, either by asking the permission of FOIA requesters, or taking the 10-day extension and notifying the requesters. The reason for the extension must be documented. If the request may take longer than the time allotted by law to respond to FOIA requests, the FOIA requesters can grant voluntary extensions for whatever timeframe is acceptable to him or her.

Until a FOIA request is "properly received" by NOAA (which means that the NOAA FOIA Office has been notified of the FOIA request and assigned a FOIA number. NOAA does not have an obligation to search or release documents.